The healthcare industry experiences a constant struggle. They have to balance having the right number of skilled nurses with forever-changing patient needs. Staffing agencies help maintain safe nurse-to-patient ratios when healthcare communities have unexpected callouts, vacations, or during seasonal influxes.
agencies help nurses have a more flexible schedule to maintain a healthy work-life balance and make more money than they would as staff nurses. In this blog, we’ll take an in-depth look at staffing agencies. We’ll explore what they do, how they benefit healthcare organizations, and the advantages they offer to nurses.
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The Matchmakers of the Medical World
Staffing agencies specialize in connecting healthcare agencies with healthcare professionals. These nurses fill temporary, contract, and permanent positions within a healthcare community. They act as a one-stop shop for healthcare communities, managing the entire recruitment process. They’ll screen applicants, conduct interviews, and onboard new hires. This helps healthcare communities save time and money in finding new staff, especially during temporary influxes.
Here are some of the biggest benefits healthcare organizations receive when they partner with PRN agencies:
Benefits for Healthcare Organizations Who Use Staffing Agencies
The healthcare industry is facing a nursing shortage, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Staffing agencies like Cascade Health Services offer staffing solutions by providing healthcare communities access to a wider pool of qualified nurses. Here’s an in-depth look at how staffing agencies help healthcare organizations.
Staffing agencies reduce time-to-fill. They employ a lot of nurses with different levels of experience and specializations. This allows them to find and place experienced nurses quickly so there are no disruptions in patient care.
Since healthcare needs can fluctuate randomly, the main goal of a staffing agency is to offer healthcare organizations the advantage of being able to increase and decrease their workforce to fit their needs.
Staffing agencies are more cost-effective than hiring. Internal recruiting can get pretty costly. Especially if your new hire doesn’t work out, or if it’s a temporary position. When healthcare communities partner with staffing agencies, they don’t have to worry about costs associated with hiring because the staffing agency is handling that for them. With agencies communities only pay for the services they use.
Agencies are experts in recruiting. Rural healthcare communities who struggle to find qualified nurses use staffing agencies to help them recruit nurses who are willing to work in rural areas.
Why do Nurses Like Working for Staffing Agencies?
For nurses, working with a staffing agency gives them the freedom to make their own schedules, and explore new care settings. Here’s a quick rundown of the biggest reasons nurses make the switch to work for agencies:
Nurses get to control their schedules. One of the biggest reasons burnout is so prominent in healthcare is that nurses don’t feel they have enough control over their schedules. In a study published by the American Nurses Foundation (ANF), they found that 31% of nurses said they were denied vacation requests.
When nurses work for PRN agencies they have complete control over their schedules. They choose when and where they want to work, and some even hold licenses in multiple states so they can travel and work when and where they want. This allows nurses to have the work-life balance they need.
Since agency nurses are usually sent to understaffed facilities, sometimes on short notice, they earn a higher hourly rate than staff nurses. Some agencies will also offer higher pay to work shifts people won’t normally work, like night shifts and holidays. This gives nurses more control over their finances because they can decide which shifts are worth their time. Some staff nurses work for staffing agencies to make a little extra money in their free time to cover any unexpected expenses or to have more spending money.
As we already mentioned, agency nurses can work in a variety of care settings. Depending on which care setting they work in, they’ll have to use different soft skills. Agency nurses get the opportunity to expand their soft skills and try out new care settings to see which ones they like the most.
Agency nurses get to network. A lot. Staffing agencies connect nurses with a wider network of healthcare professionals. Since they travel through new facilities every week they have a unique opportunity to meet a lot of different healthcare administrators and nurses.
Nurses use their networks to help them find new jobs, ask for guidance, and to help them combat burnout by having people within their industry who have or are going through the same things.
Staffing agencies play an important role in the healthcare ecosystem. By fostering a mutually beneficial relationship between healthcare communities and nurses.
W-2 VS. 1099 Staffing Agencies
Jumping headfirst into staffing agencies can be a great decision for healthcare organizations and nurses seeking a more flexible work schedule. But not all agencies are created equal. Let’s take a look at the biggest difference between 1099 and W2 staffing agencies:
W-2 Staffing Agencies
W-2 staffing agencies classify nurses as employees, and according to the final ruling by the Department of Labor, this is the correct way to classify nurses. Full-time nurses who work for W-2 agencies get access to the same types of benefits as staff nurses. This includes things like paid time off (PTO), Health insurance, and 401(k). This leads to higher retention rates and happier employees.
The biggest thing that sets W-2 agencies apart from 1099 is that they can manage staff. Since nurses are considered employees, they report to managers and an HR team. The HR team is also available to help problem solve for facilities. W-2 employees also benefit from their employer handling payroll taxes for them.
1099 Staffing Agencies
These agencies classify nurses as independent contractors. This goes against the Department of Labor’s ruling and can end up costing healthcare communities a lot of money. Though nurses can experience the same level of flexibility when they work with 1099 agencies, they miss out on all of the perks of working with a W-2 agency. They will have to provide their insurance and do taxes completely on their own. Lack of benefits and no management team can lead to lower quality staff, costing the healthcare community time and money.
Finding the Best Staffing Agency
Now that you know the differences between 1099 and W-2 agencies, we should talk about the little things that you should look for when picking the right W-2 agency to work with.
Research the agency’s reputation and experience. The last thing any healthcare organization needs is an unreliable staffing partner. Look for a staffing agency that has experience in your area and with your specific care setting. It’s also a good idea to check and see if the agency is certified by the Joint Commission. The Joint Commission helps agencies hold their employees to a higher standard.
When you’re looking for staffing agencies it’s a good idea to look into what their main services are. Some agencies will specialize in contracts or PRN employees while others will do both. Depending on what you anticipate, you can pick the agency that will be able to provide the best services.
Research pricing, keep in mind that cheaper rarely means better. 1099 agencies tend to be cheaper than W-2 agencies, but they also tend to have a lower-quality workforce and open your facility up to lawsuits because of misclassification.
Make sure your staffing partner offers enough support. Remember, staffing agencies are here to fill unexpected callouts. That means you’re going to want to partner with someone who you can communicate with efficiently. Larger staffing agencies have portals that you can use to quickly book shifts. But if you’re on the go and need something hands-free, you’ll want to make sure you can quickly call and talk to someone about staffing. Test your option by giving them calls at random times to see who answers the fastest.
The Future of Staffing Agencies in Healthcare
Since the healthcare industry is constantly changing, staffing agencies have to be able to adapt to healthcare communities changing needs.
The rise of telehealth is creating new opportunities for staffing agencies. They can help healthcare facilities find qualified nurses to help deliver virtual care to patients. Staffing agencies are also seeing a higher demand for specialized nurses, agencies are starting to use new recruitment techniques to recruit specialized nurses for healthcare organizations.
Technology is starting to play a more important role in the recruitment and staffing process. Staffing agencies use applicant tracking systems to help expedite recruiting and onboarding processes. Some agencies are also using technology to help automate their staffing process. Instead of reaching out to nurses individually, agencies are building apps that automatically match nurses with open shifts.
By staying in front of new staffing trends, staffing agencies continue to play an important role in healthcare staffing.
Staffing agencies bridge the gap between healthcare facilities needing flexible staffing and nurses seeking control over their careers. Facilities gain access to a wide variety of skilled nurses, faster hiring, and cost savings. At the same time, Nurses get flexible scheduling, higher pay, and skill development.
